Sports Festival
by Jenni N
Summary: Lann's sometimes dissatisfied with the lack of teamwork so in order to help his team with cooperation, he hosts a sports festival and invited the other elite mercenary teams.
1. Prologue

Lann was proud of his six-person team, even though occasionally they could get on each other's nerves. The idea of his teammates griping at each other unnerved him, but even he had to admit that not even his team was the best role-model for the new rookies teams. Then again, some of the other elite mercenary teams weren't either, but he had to admit that his team was one of the more unusual one.

There were times where he and Vella would bicker about whose job it was to use twin swords in order to breeze through the small fry. Lann couldn't help but plot his revenge against Evie after her incredibly complex pranks. Even Karok would sometimes get into a small argument with him if they both wanted a certain item. And Kai's silence and brooding demeanor would provoke Lann to try to get him to relax; this would only annoy the archer and Lann would, in return, become exasperated and frustrated over the lack of progress.

Of all his teammates, Lann thought Fiona would at least be the most cooperative one, seeing that she knew him longer. However, the more Lann thought about it, he acknowledged with defeat that even he and Fiona would sometimes irritate each other.

"And this is why we're doing this," Lann declared, raising his mug of ale to his lips. He was well aware of the bewildered expressions of his teammates as he drank. He knew that there would be some objections but the damage was done. He, as one of the founding leaders of the team, had challenged several other elite mercenary teams to many recreational challenges in order to boost his team's spirit and teamwork.

Of course, he had failed to check in with the other founding team leader, but he was certain that Fiona would agree to the challenges. What harm could be done, really?

"I actually think that's a great idea," Karok said casually. Lann shot him a grin. He knew he could count on Karok.

"It sounds fun," Evie said slowly, "but what are the challenges?"

Lann slammed his mug down on the table, the remaining ale slopping against the glass. "Lots of things," he said. "There's a relay race-I'm obviously taking part in that one, and so is Vella; we'll be needing two more people-, javelin throw, egg race, tug-of-war, archery- Kai, don't disappoint me on this one-, pie-eating contests- Karok, how's your appetite?-, rope-climbing, boulder-stopping-"

"Wait, boulder-stopping?" Vella interrupted, frowning. "What's that?"

Lann flourished his arms as if it was obvious. "Uh, stopping boulders, what else could it be?" He nodded at Fiona and said, "She's got this down, don't you, Fiona?"

Though Fiona didn't answer back, Lann continued as if she did. "That's the spirit. Now, I've already drew out some of the playoff diagrams with the other team leaders. We're starting out with Capture the Flag. We're playing first-"

"What teams are playing?" Evie asked curiously.

"Eight of the elite mercenary teams will play, including us," Lann grinned. "I couldn't get the others to join because they've got things to do but the other seven are free. This sporting event will go on for a while, since each day will be dedicated to one event."

"If we're playing Capture the Flag tomorrow, then who are we playing?" asked Vella.

The team watched as Lann fumbled with his pockets, finally pulling out a folded up sheet of parchment. They all leaned in, examining the playoff diagram Lann drew out. "It's based on the 'winner plays winner' concept," Lann explained. "If we win, we move on to the next round and play the other winning team. We're playing Tarlach's team-"

"What? His team?" Karok exclaimed.

Evie's lips twitched up into a grin. "Well," she said as she took a sip of her water, "this will be interesting."

Lann nodded. "I know, which is why I picked his team to go against us first. Now, is everyone familiar with the rules?"

Kai and Vella gave Lann a slightly uncomfortable look and Lann knew immediately that he had explaining to do. "The rules are simple. Two teams have their own territory in which they are safe in. The goal of the game is to get your opponent's flags while defending your own. However, if you're in the opponent's territory, you're vulnerable to be out of play until someone brings you back in. Er, I'll give you the details later but that's the basic game play."

While Kai and Vella exchanged uncertain looks, Fiona cocked her head and said, "Where will we play then?"

Evie straightened up, staring at Fiona in surprise. "Fiona!" Evie exclaimed. At the sight of Fiona's raised eyebrows, Evie continued, "I thought you'd sit out but you're participating too?"

Fiona averted her eyes and stared down at her own drink, swishing the contents around casually. "It's for the sake of teamwork, like Lann said, and this event will brighten people's spirit up since we're fighting all the time," Fiona explained, "and besides..." She gave Evie a small smile. "Tarlach owes me from last week's battle."

Lann cleared his throat and addressed Fiona's earlier question. "I went scouting the other day and there's this forest close to here. It's near the pathway from Colhen to Rocheste, so I'll say it's pretty safe. If there are any emergencies, we can just deal with it. We aren't elite for nothing, you know."

He ignored the snickers from Evie, Karok, and Vella.

* * *

After dinner at the inn, Lann bade his team good night before he took a walk towards the general store. Though it was getting late, the women in the store were still chatting pleasantly with the few people present. Aislinn was busy with another customer but Fenella and Clodagh greeted Lann warmly.

"How are you?" Fenella asked as Lann approached.

"I'm good, thanks. You?"

"Just fine."

Lann directed his attention towards Clodagh, leaning against the table, watching her drive the end of a piece of thread through the eye of a needle. "So, is my order ready yet?" Lann asked.

Clodagh glanced up and smiled cheerfully, wiping the sweat from her forehead. "It was a lot of work, but I'm glad you gave me a few months to finish. Forty-eight uniforms, huh? What are you guys doing that requires all of this gear?"

Lann had planned the sporting event months ago and told Clodagh in advance that he needed uniforms for his team and the other seven teams participating. He didn't tell her what they were doing exactly, other than the fact that they needed clothing that wasn't necessarily armor, but something that they could easily move in and represent their respective team.

"We're just doing stuff," he said, trying his best to sound innocent.

There were packages and packages of gear, all of them fitted so that the person wearing their own uniform would feel comfortable. Though Lann never liked to make different trips, he had to cave in to his pride and take four. The first trip was towards the Mercenary Outpost where he found two of the teams; oblivious to the curious looks the other mercenaries gave them, Lann and the others sorted through their new gear and marveled at how much Clodagh improved her tailoring skills.

The second trip was to the inn, where Lann managed to find half of one team and a few of another. He left them their team's uniforms, not wanting to hunt down the missing members. He trusted them to give the uniforms to the others.

The third trip was lengthy, mainly because Lann didn't think to check the docks until the very last minute before he gave up.

"Seriously you guys, stick close to Colhen so it makes it easier to find you guys," Lann retorted, watching the mercenaries examine their gear. The other team that Lann had to hunt down on the third trip was just coming back from a quick battle. At first, Lann was unsure if they were healthy enough to take part in the games but when he realized they came back from a scouting trip, he figured that it was nothing serious and that they could suck it up.

"Just get plenty of rest, okay?" Lann told them. "I'll move your match down to mid-afternoon so you can get a little more rest."

The last trip was simpler. He found the seventh team lounging around the Forge and when they were taken care of, he returned to the inn in order to supply his own team with their uniforms.

It was amusing to Lann, really, how all the other teams knew about the event months before. After he had placed an order with Clodagh, he had rushed off to plan it with the other leaders, including the co-leaders. They were entirely up for it at first, but then Lann was reminded of their paling faces when he told them that the event was entirely his idea and that they shouldn't tell Fiona about it.

Apparently, everyone knew about Lann's infamous ability of getting into reckless and stupid ideas. The other leaders didn't see the harm in participating, but the second they saw how frantic Lann was about not telling Fiona, who they had all trusted to keep Lann in check, they soon wondered if it was such a good idea after all.

The reason why Lann pleaded them not to tell Fiona was because he wanted to watch all of his teammates' reactions towards the idea. Of course, this would mean that he might have put them in a disadvantage since he told them the night before; the other teams probably trained and prepared themselves to win.

However, he was sure that his team's performance would be amazing, even without prior preparations.

"Ooh, Clodagh made these?" Evie asked, tracing her name in bold letters on the back of her jacket.

"She worked hard on it," Lann mused, perched on top of his bed. He had called his team to gather in his bedroom and though they were bemused at the man's cluttered and disorganized room, their expressions soon changed when Lann told them of their uniforms.

"How much were these?" Karok asked. "I thought you were low on money."

Lann's face contorted distastefully at the memory of tedious tasks in order to afford the gear. Never again would he journey into the depths of a suspicious-looking cave and gather dried up feces. Who would even buy such a thing? But of course, Shayla never disclosed her client's reasons and even she made a face when Lann returned with a whole bag of them.

"Who would have thought a bag of dried feces would bring in a couple million. Not even magic powder brings in that much..." Lann muttered bitterly.

It was then that Fiona gave Karok a 'let's drop the subject' look and Karok merely nodded in agreement.

* * *

"You want me to referee?" Marrec asked incredulously. "Since when did we have a sporting event around here?"

Lann rolled his eyes. "Marrec, _all_ the mercenaries are counting on you. If you don't do it then...what will we do? There are several people who will be crestfallen and crushed because you wouldn't..."

Lann did his best to imitate Evie's puppy-dog eyes and he even stuck out his bottom lip for extra effects.

Marrec grimaced and barked, "Oaky, okay, just stop making that ridiculous face! You'll give me nightmares."

Normally, Lann would find this offensive but at the time, he was just glad his face worked. It may not be cute and endearing like how Evie could make it, but it didn't matter. It had the same outcome.

As Marrec shuffled away, Lann turned to find Gallagher and asked if he would like to commentate on the event.

"How come _I_ wasn't invited to play, ha?"

Lann frowned. He failed to realize that Gallagher might take it offensive he wasn't participating in the games with the other elite mercenaries. Luckily for Lann, he was a self-proclaimed master of evasion. "Well, if you were to play, then everyone will be at a disadvantage because you're too strong for them," he said. "If I put you in, you'd automatically win everything, and that's not fair. That's why I'm asking you to commentate the games. It'll be an honor...really..."

This pleased Gallagher, much to Lann's relief, and immediately took up the offer.

Reilly, on the other hand, demanded sweets and candy upon Lann's request.

While Brynn watched the two with annoyance, for they were interrupting his latest experiment, Lann dug his hands into his pockets and grabbed whatever his frantic fingers could find.

"I have some lint and uh, a few pebbles," he said sheepishly.

Reilly's face hardened and Lann had a feeling he needed more in order to impress the old man.

Lann coughed and stuck his fist back into his pockets. "I'll see what I can do."

After a quick stop back at the general store, Lann returned to the laboratory to satisfy the old man's wants. The second he stepped through the door, he was pounced on by Reilly, whose agility was shocking for a man f his age.

"Candy!" he exclaimed. "Gimme! Gimme!"

Lann surrendered the candy and sweets and took several steps backwards towards Brynn, regarding Reilly as if he was a wild beast.

"So you'll do it?" he asked slowly, pulling Brynn in front of him to act as a shield, much to Brynn's chagrin.

Reilly ceased his crazed excitement and glanced up at Lann and blinked. "Oh yes, I'll be happy to do it," he said. And with that, he returned to his sweets and Brynn finally kicked the two out of his lab.

* * *

Okay, so this idea randomly popped up in my head and I started to write about it. I liked it so much that I decided to post it on fanfiction! Yay! I know I have other projects to do, but I couldn't help it! Anyway, since Lann's invited other "elite mercenary teams", I'll have to make up their names so I stole-erm, borrowed- them from the Mabinogi characters, the sequel to Vindictus.

Anyway, please enjoy! And if there are other events you'd like to see, please let me know. Thank you for reading!


	2. Day One: Capture the Flag

**Day One: Capture the Flag**

Lann had to admit, he was pleased with the playing field he chose. He woke up extra early to make sure the territories for the day's matches were properly fenced off so that the audiences coming to watch wouldn't accidentally stumble into the game.

Although the players weren't able to bring in any forms of weaponry, they were free to use the environment to their advantage and knowing the others, Lann was certain that there would be some sort of weaponry. He made sure to tell everyone not to go overboard with it and it was just a game.

"As long as we beat Tarlach, I'm fine," Fiona said in a business-like tone as she pulled her personalized jacket over her inner uniform.

"Someone's competitive," Karok mused as he pulled a glove over his hand.

"What did Tarlach do to you last week anyway?" Lann asked, glancing up at Fiona with a puzzled look as he pulled his boots on.

Fiona's expression tightened. "Let's just say his aim was off that day and because of that, I was out for the rest of the battle."

Lann and Evie exchanged knowing looks and Kai gave a small harrumph.

It was nearing eight in the morning when Lann's team made it down to the playing field. He passed Gallagher, who seemed to be searching for something.

"Ah, Lann," Gallagher hissed, jogging up to him. He threw an arm over Lann's shoulders and drew him away from the others. "Why is Reilly my partner?" Gallagher demanded. "The old coot is crazy. He doesn't know anything about sports."

"Well who do you want to help you commentate? I was thinking he'd use his magic to project your voices so that everyone can hear you," Lann said pointedly.

Gallagher chuckled and drew a circle on Lann's chest. "Why don't you find someone younger and cuter? Someone hot, you know what I mean?"

Lann groaned. He didn't have time for this. He had to get back to his team and tell them the plan. He had to assign the offensive and defensive players and quickly; there were people streaming in and the sun was rising.

He suddenly brightened and grinned. "I know what you mean. Don't worry, I got you."

While Gallagher grinned smugly, Lann called out, "Hey Tommy! Come here!"

Gallagher's face fell and he spun around. A small boy who was walking into the stands (Lann had Reilly use magic to set everything up) stopped and waved. Seeing that he was wanted, the small boy quickly approached the two men and Lann reached out to fondly pat the boy's head.

"Sweating already?" Lann mused.

"It's hot," Tommy replied.

Lann grinned at Gallagher, whose face was torn between disbelief and bewilderment. "How's Tommy? He's younger, he's cuter, and he's hot. Look at him! He's sweating a stream."

Gallagher stared at Lann and Lann exchanged a smirk with Tommy. They were like this for another moment before Gallagher slinked away, muttering that Reilly was alright with him.

"See you later, Tom," Lann said coolly, watching the boy run back to the stands.

When he returned to his team, he was thoroughly impressed with Fiona. She had already assigned the others their positions and they were exactly what Lann originally thought.

"Kai's scouting, so he'll be in charge of letting us know where the flags are," Fiona said to Lann. "There are three flags in this game, right?"

Lann nodded in confirmation.

"So then while Kai is scouting, you and Vella are standing by," Fiona continued. "Evie, Karok, and I will defend the flags. If anything happens, run. If they find you, run. If they outnumber you, run and shout and back up will appear. _Right?_" she added, throwing a stern glance over her shoulder at the others.

"Of course," Evie said enthusiastically. "No man left behind! Or woman," she added.

Fiona nodded at Evie and returned her gaze to Lann. "Is there anything you want to add?" she asked.

Lann frowned. He had already explained the rules and details to Kai and Vella. He made sure the team knew that incapacitating others wasn't allowed since the game wasn't a death match of some sort. They had established the location of their own flags so he, Kai, and Vella knew where to go if they needed Fiona, Evie, or Karok's help.

He also went over the fact that with Reilly's magic, he and Gallagher would be floating above the playing field in a floating balloon ("Reilly came up with it, don't ask me," Lann added hastily at the looks of his team) and that they shouldn't panic when they hear them talking about what's going on.

"They won't give anything away if you're hiding. They'll only state the obvious," Lann assured them. "And Reilly also has some sort of device thing that can 'record' everything and it will show to the audience back at the stands. I don't know if that's true or not but I don't really care. Honestly, just go kick ass."

He gained a grin from Karok and Vella and a curt nod from Fiona and Kai. Evie clapped her hands together and grinned, "This will be fun!"

* * *

Kai was grateful Lann picked out a place where there were a lot of trees. He made sure to stick to the shadows and stay high above the ground. Leaning against the trunk, Kai scanned the horizon, noting the visible blue flag flapping in the wind in the distance.

According to Lann, there were three flags; one would be obvious whereas the other two were more hidden. The way Kai had it, he figured that the flag he was staring at was heavily protected.

On their side, Kai knew that Karok was guarding the main one. Fiona refused to do so herself in fear that the others would try to get the hidden ones first. Kai also wondered if the other team had a scout like him.

He knew that Tarlach was an archer like him, so there was a chance he'd run into him.

Kai jumped, glancing upwards into the morning sky. An ecstatic voice echoed around him and he watched with subtle awe at the fact that Gallagher and Reilly were standing in a large basket, a giant red pear-shaped balloon carrying them with the wind.

"Ladies and gentlemen!" Reilly's voice boomed. It was surprisingly professional-sounding. Kai wondered what happened. "Welcome to the first event of the uh...sports festival! Today's event is Capture the Flag!"

"Team Lann and Team Tarlach are the first two teams up! Team Lann has the west end of the field and Team Tarlach has the east end," Gallagher said coolly.

Kai watched as the balloon floated past his hiding spot. Their voices were projected, that was for sure. Even when the balloon was the size of his fingernail, he could still hear them clearly.

Another balloon appeared but it was a dark blue one and Marrec was on it. Unlike Gallagher and Reilly's balloon, Marrec was closer to Kai and actually waved at the archer. Unsure of what to do, Kai meekly waved back and Marrec seemed content before flying away.

Before his mind could wander about the different possibilities one could do with magic, he leapt off of his branch and landed on another, traveling from tree to tree as two rapid shadows followed him down on the ground.

After moving about with heavy armor for so long, Kai and the others found it astonishing how fast they were able to move. Then again, no one was as content than Lann and Vella, who found their ability to literally zip in and out of places like blurs absolutely delightful.

Kai sighed, crossing his arms as he stood up on his current perching spot. Hidden flags had to be on some pole or at least in a high place. Perhaps he was too high to find the hidden flags; should he climb down?

The closer he got to the ground, the more concerned Lann and Vella looked. "Is there something wrong?" Vella asked him as Kai swung down to perch on the lowest branch.

Kai shook his head. "Readjusting," he said.

Lann clicked his tongue and leaned against the tree, glancing up at the archer. "Kai, what did I tell you about one-worded answers?"

Kai stared down at Lann. "They're bad," he said.

Lann raised an eyebrow as Vella heaved a sigh. "Look, we don't have time to idly chat around," she said. "Kai, you can't be this low. You'd be easy to spot that way. Go up higher."

He did so and returned to scouting. Meanwhile, Lann and Vella agreed to spread out just a little bit in order to cover more ground. They would be close enough to still see each other but far enough to expand their chances of catching a glimpse of a blue flag.

* * *

Fiona pressed her back against the wall of the ditch, listening for any movements. She glanced up at the red flag hanging from the wooden pole adjacent to a large tree growing at the edge of the ditch. If anyone were to make a grab for it, Fiona would be able to immediately retaliate and tag the person, sending him or her to the jail.

Minutes passed in silence, except for the commentary of Gallagher and Reilly who passed by her spot several times. It wasn't long before Fiona wondered if people knew that someone was hiding in the ditch. Any sentient being would see that a seemingly unprotected flag hanging freely right above a ditch where people could easily hide in was a trap.

Glancing around, Fiona smiled to herself. "If I make some sort of distraction, they probably won't notice the ditch," she murmured.

Scanning the area to make sure she was truly alone, Fiona gathered several dead leaves, twigs, and grasses and piled them up a couple feet in front of the tree and the flag so that it seemed as if they covered up a hole. She tried to not make it super obvious or it would arouse suspicion so she scattered the remaining leaves randomly around the clearing.

If it worked, people would try to walk around the pile and when they do...then what?

Fiona scratched the back of her head, pondering what else she could do.

Overhead, she heard Gallagher cackle, "What a sudden change of events! Lann, a dual-swordsman, just encountered Huw, an axeman. How will this turn out? What say you, Reilly?"

"Well, Gallagher," Reilly said casually, "Lann's a fast man so he may be able to escape before he gets tagged. Then again, Huw's _super_ endurance may help him in the long-run. Lann tires quickly, you know."

Gallagher chuckled and said, "Right you are. Look at them run! Lann's a total blur, weaving in and out of the trees and rocks. Ladies and gentlemen, look at that fancy footwork! Ah, but is he already getting tired?"

"He's getting slower already?" Reilly asked, sounding surprised.

Fiona sighed to herself as she took a small break, listening to the commentary. "Lann...I told you that you needed to train your endurance..." she sighed to herself.

* * *

Karok chuckled to himself as he listened to Lann's predicament. Deep down, he knew that Lann would get into a sticky situation first. The man had a bad tendency of attracting trouble.

He probably shouldn't have spoken so soon.

While Karok was busy listening to Gallagher and Reilly, he didn't notice a member of Tarlach's team sneaking towards the flag. The red flag was lowered slowly but quietly but before the member could reach for it, Karok glanced over his shoulder and past the tree he hid behind and jumped.

His sudden movement startled the woman and she yanked on the rope and made a grab for the flag before Karok could get to her.

She made a run for it and Karok gave pursuit, determined not to let her out of his sight.

Soon, Gallagher and Reilly noticed the chase and Reilly exclaimed, "Team Tarlach has gotten a flag! However, Aineah is still in enemy territory! Will Karok be able to catch her?"

"Aineah, the mage of the Team Tarlach, is zipping through the terrain like a master," Gallagher mused. "Look at her go! No seriously, look at _her!_"

There was a small smack and Gallagher hissed in pain. Reilly then took over. "When it comes to running, Aineah's your girl! But like Lann, she might tire quicker than her pursuer. Karok may be a giant, and giants may be slower than humans, but let me tell you; giants are _beasts_ and they will stop at nothing to get what they wa- wait...what's this?"

Karok narrowed his eyes. There was a blur in front of them, but it seemed as if Aineah hadn't noticed it. Seconds after this realization, Lann collided into Aineah and they both halted. Karok was relieved that Lann made it back into their territory but he soon found that he couldn't stop running. They were on a slope and gravity pulled him down and he ended up tackling Lann and Aineah, sending the three down to the bottom of the small hill.

"Ouch!" Gallagher said. "That must hurt. But hey, those lucky gentlemen got entangled with the lovely Aineah so-"

Another smack could be heard and then Reilly said hastily, "Aineah is out and sent to the jail! Karok and Lann successfully retrieved their flag, thanks to Lann who popped out of nowhere. It seems as if he had outran Huw, pushing himself to the limit. Surprisingly, he didn't do his old-man run, which he always does when he's tired."

Aineah returned the red flag to Karok and marched off to the jail; Marrec, who had appeared in his balloon shortly before Lann appeared, trailed after her to make sure she really did go to the jail. Galagher and Reilly then floated elsewhere, chuckling over Lann's sudden surprise clash.

Lann, extremely exhausted, accepted Karok's hand and the giant heaved his friend. "Good timing," Karok panted.

Lann gave Karok a chuckle. "Thanks to Huw. Damn, you'd think the man would stop after a log comes tumbling down. I climbed up to a high area and kicked down the log rooted there. He's strong, Karok! He could probably be on par with Fiona in the boulder-stopping contest!"

"We'll worry about that later," Karok said. "Are you going back to the enemy territory?"

Lann shook his head. "I'll rest for a bit and then I'll head on over. Kai and Vella can handle themselves. I think."

"What kind of leader are you if you're not even sure of their abilities?" Karok asked, amused.

Lann groaned. "_Karok_," he said, "they're the two newer members. I mean, we got Kai for a few months now but Vella's still fairly new. How the hell am I supposed to know how efficient they are? I don't know their limits."

Karok shrugged, clenching up the flag into his fist. "You gonna rest here or what?"

Lann frowned, scanning the area behind him. "I'll rest here. I'm technically safe for now and I can go back into the east end quicker if I stay here, you know what I mean?"

Karok waved at Lann dismissively. "Alright, alright," he said, "I know. Stay out of trouble, Lann."

The giant grinned to himself when he heard the dual-swordsman chortle. "Yeah right, Karok. I'll try my best."

* * *

Evie brushed the dirt from her uniform, examining her hidden work. She was pleased with the fact that there were several traps surrounding her flag. They weren't big traps but that didn't matter. The dozens of smaller ones would throw people off-guard; they were designed to confuse those who fell into its traps.

She could see it now; a member of Team Tarlach would activate one of the many traps and try to walk around it. However, they would walk into another, startling the person and then they'd backtrack and take another route where another small trap awaited them. It would go on and on, many traps going off until the person would be so distracted by trying to avoid them, Evie was free to tag them in the middle of their confusion and send yet another person to jail.

Speaking of jail, Evie knew that their team's jail was relatively close to hers. In fact, she had spotted Aineah pass her spot to head to the jail. Marrec's balloon was trailing behind her dutifully.

According to Fiona, Evie was also in charge of preventing members of Team Tarlach bailing prisoners. She grimaced when she remembered she had also set up several traps around the jail zone, which was a circle drawn in the dirt.

Sure enough, a sharp yelp sent a small flock of birds flying and Evie pursed her lips. She'd have to give Aineah a comforting hug later; Aineah was Evie's fellow mage friend and the traps Evie set up around the jail zone was much more drastic than the ones around the flag.

* * *

It wasn't long before Kai finally found one of the hidden flags. It had been roughly forty-five minutes in and Kai couldn't help but feel somewhat accomplished. Vella gave him a grin when he pointed the flag out and she dashed from bush to bush, analyzing her surroundings.

She raised her right hand and gave Kai a signal, silently asking him to see if there were any visible traps she should know about.

A minute passed and Kai caught her attention, signaling that there was none that he could see in his current position. Then, with hand motions that weren't part of the system they created earlier, Kai pointed at himself, pointed past the flag, and then cocked his head questioningly.

Vella narrowed her eyes, taking a few seconds to make out his message. She hoped that he meant if she wanted him to go to another place and make sure that there weren't any traps on that side. With a small nod, Kai was gone, leaving Vella alone and without a scout, vulnerable to those of Team Tarlach.

At this point, she found herself wondering if it was fortunate to have Lann driven away by Huw. If Lann's infamous ability to attract trouble was still with him, which Vella was sure it was, then something was bound to happen around here and then both of them would end up in jail. That would be problematic seeing that they were the two fastest people on the team.

Then again, Kai was reliable, so Vella could trust him to bail them out. She then went on to wonder if Kai would only bail Vella out so that Lann couldn't mess up anymore, and then she grinned at the idea of it. It was cruel though, so she dismissed the thought and concentrated on finding Kai in the trees.

He was incredibly well-hidden and even Vella couldn't spot him. It was until he was making his way back that she noticed him. She mouthed, 'Well?'

Kai gave her the signal for 'clear' and she deemed it relatively safe to move on.

"You know, Reilly," Gallagher was saying as Vella lurked around to the other side of the clearing where the flag was at, "Don't you just love the stealthiness of some of the people here?"

"It certainly makes the game more fun," Reilly agreed.

Vella glanced up int the sky and sucked her breath in when she realized that the commentators were watching her. Lann had said they wouldn't give away hiding spots or anything, but she still had an uneasy feeling. Their presence usually meant that something was going to happen, or something was already happening. This could give her away.

However, they had the sense to float away, but they kept themselves near by in case if a chase broke out. Vella was confident she would be able to run fast enough and long enough, unlike Lann, but in case if something happened, Kai was always there to drop dead tree branches or rocks to distract their opponents.

His time in the trees also benefited him since he was now able to go from tree to tree as if it was a flat surface; there was barely any hesitation when he moved about. It was as if the man had no fear of falling and dying.

Vella sincerely hoped that Kai wouldn't fall. If he landed incorrectly, what would happen? Of course, Marrec had several feathers with him in case if an accident occurred, but where was Marrec?

Vella neared the flag and the guard. He was also in the trees, but he was completely laid-back and was lying on his back, dangling his leg as he yawned. She glanced over to Kai, who gave her a small shrug.

"This is too easy," she sighed to herself, disappointed in the lack of action. The blue flag was dangling right below the guard and she was practically within reach of it. She could raise her arm carefully, staying out of the man's view (which shouldn't be hard since his gaze was fixed onto the branch above him), and snatch the flag. She could probably do it so silently that she didn't even have to make a run for it.

Vella's fingertips brushed by the flag. No reaction from the guard. She locked eyes with Kai and smiled, holding the flag while she slowly eased it towards her.

She meant to pull it down so she could untie the flag from the rope. What she didn't see was that when she pulled it down, the rope would brush against the guard's back, thus alerting him. At once, he rolled over, suddenly determined and diligent in his job, and pounced onto the unsuspecting Vella.

"Ooh," Gallagher said as Vella huffed at the man's triumphant expression. "Madoc's pinned Vella down! And right before she got the flag too. Off to jail she goes!"

Vella watched as the sun's rays disappeared and a dark blue balloon hovered above her. _So that's where Marrec is..._she thought sulkily.

* * *

The next hour was spent with both teams going back and forth; Lann freed Vella but as they made their escape, Tarlach tagged Lann so he ended up switching places with Vella. Karok nearly tagged another member of Team Tarlach but he had escaped and Karok didn't dare chase after him; he still had a job to do, after all. Evie, however, caught Huw trying to free Aineah and tagged him, thus sending him to join Aineah in the circle.

While she was gone, on the other hand, someone had activated the traps around the flag, causing Evie to rush back to her spot but she didn't make it on time and the person was gone.

With nothing to really protect, Evie attempted to find hints on the direction of the person but she remembered she had to guard the jail. When Vella stumbled back to Evie, weary due to the chase Tarlach gave her after tagging Lann, Evie told her about their missing flag.

"I didn't see anyone else here," she panted. "Whoever it was, they must be long gone. Maybe Kai will tag him and get us the flag back."

Meanwhile, Kai saw the person and was alarmed at the fact that Gallagher and Reilly didn't even commentate on it. It wasn't until he started to secretly follow the person when they finally noticed.

"Looks like Team Tarlach has gotten a hold of a flag!" Reilly grinned.

"Finally, someone's done something productive," Gallagher said. "But just how far can she go before she gets caught, huh?"

Not very far. Kai finally caught up to her and he jumped off his branch, soaring through the sky before he landed on her back, successfully retrieving the flag.

"That hurts," she groaned as he got off of her.

Kai brushed off the dirt from his knees and sent her an unfazed glance. "Sorry."

With half of Team Tarlach in jail, Lann was suddenly ecstatic. Sure he was in jail, but at least his teammates were holding up. After he heard Reilly comment on Kai's flight, he noted hwo close the commentators' balloon was and wondered if Kai would free him.

Several minutes later, Kai came to the rescue. They parted ways, however, since Lann had to go back to his territory before joining in again. He hoped that Kai was careful because honestly, he placed a lot of faith into his archer.

Minutes later, Tarlach was able to sneak up on Evie and Vella and freed two of his teammates; Huw and Aineah. The three fled the area and though Tarlach was too early to also free his teammate that was recently pounced on by Kai, he had gained his offensive members back, much to Lann's dismay.

"That guy's good," he muttered as he trudged through his territory, searching for a spot to rest. He found himself close to Fiona and so he decided to head to her area. He realized that Fiona had a small grudge over Tarlach and if anyone was willing to help him get back at the leader of the opposing team, it would be his trusty long-time partner, Fiona.

"Yo!" he called out. "Fiona, it's me! If you have any traps around, let me know so I don't fall into them, okay?"

There was a slightly suspicious-looking pile of leaves in the middle right in front of the flag Fiona was supposed to guard and so Lann made sure to walk around it. His foot caught a vine and as he lifted it, a loud snap startled him and a large branch above him started to plummet down on him.

All of a sudden, he found himself being tackled and the air was knocked right out of him. He and the person landed several feet away from the fallen branch that collapsed with a sickening crunch. Groaning, he lifted his head to give Fiona, who was on top of him, a weary look. "That could incapacitate someone, you know," he said.

Fiona copied his weary look and sighed. "It was just a medium-sized branch."

Lann tilted his head to look past her. "What's your definition of medium?" he asked weakly, although he honestly didn't want to know.

Fiona huffed and rolled off of his body. She glanced behind her and murmured something about finding a new trap. Lann coughed to get her attention and said, "So you know that Tarlach's freed Aineah and Huw, right?"

Fiona whipped her head around to face Lann and nodded.

"Right. So this guy got past Evie and Vella, which is saying something. I was just thinking that if we somehow got rid of this guy, then it'll be easier for us to get the flags, am I right?"

Fiona nodded again.

Lann found this action to be too similar to Kai's action and he sighed, staring at her as if he was sending a silent message.

Fiona received the message and, though she was somewhat exasperated, said, "So what are you planning?"

* * *

Lann had Vella take Fiona's post in guarding the flag and then he and Fiona set off to find Tarlach. Tarlach was most likely on the offensive so they scouted their own territory first before heading into enemy territory. It was shocking at first, but they ran into Kai who had assumed they were members of Team Tarlach and vice versa.

When they found out they were on the same side, they sheepishly regathered and Lann asked Kai if he knew Tarlach's whereabouts.

They ended up following Kai in the trees, although they were slow and unsure unlike Kai, who sped through the branches and boughs as he pleased. Their movements attracted the attention of Gallagher and Reilly and soon, they were being followed by the red balloon.

Lann tried to shoo them away in fear of being discovered. They lingered for a little bit but then got bored and floated off to find something more exciting than three people hopping from tree to tree ("That was like, so last half hour," Gallagher had rolled his eyes).

When Kai finally stopped them, he explained that Tarlach made a small fortress in the trees and Kai usually tried to avoid that area when he was scouting. They were deep in enemy territory now and the main flag was still flying high in the sky. In fact, the fortress was right beside the flag, so Lann found this as a 'two birds with one stone' sort of deal.

"Kai, you get the flag. Fiona and I will get Tarlach," Lann hissed.

While Kai was waiting for their diversion, Lann hoped that he and Fiona could pull it off. He had explained to Fiona that he was going to distract Tarlach by standing out in the open, challenging him. Fiona's job was to make sure there weren't any traps and if there were, she'd activate them so that Kai could zip in and out with the flag. This plan required sacrifices from both Lann and Fiona and they both knew the consequences of doing so.

There was also the possibility that Kai wouldn't make it back safely, but at this point, the three didn't care. They had to do something and if this could be pulled off, then what was the harm?

"Sometimes I wonder how you can come up with these plans and yet..." Fiona murmured to Lann.

"Yet what?" Lann asked. "What are you trying to say, Fiona?" he challenged mockingly, grinning.

To his surprise, Fiona gave a small laugh and shook her head. "No, nothing," she said. Her expression quickly returned to its usual indifference.

Gallagher and Reilly ended up coming back and they watched as Lann bantered with Tarlach. "Lann is mucho loco," Reilly declared.

Gallagher gave him a strange look. "What?"

"Mucho loco. Very crazy," Reilly said, giving Gallagher the same strange look. "Isn't it obvious?"

"What are you talking about? What language is that?"

"Spanish," Reilly said. "Duh." He glanced back to Lann and added, "Oh, Lann's still at it. Will Tarlach go down there and tag the man or is this some sort of trap?"

Fiona and Kai watched as Lann mocked and teased Tarlach. Usually, Tarlac wasn't easy to aggravate but there was something about Lann that annoyed people and Lann's unique ability to irritate people actually came in handy in this situation.

Tarlach climbed down to the ground and continued his banter with Lann. Fiona didn't proceed forward; she gave them time so that Tarlach wouldn't suspect anything. She was impressed that Lann was able to argue with people for a while.

Kai watched as Fiona climbed out on the branch they were on. She jumped onto the tree where the small fortress was established and glanced at the branches. The small fortress consisted of several sticks bound together by vines so that they made a loose board. The boards were fitted in between the boughs.

She glanced down at Lann and Tarlach; Lann was doing a good job; she had nothing to worry about.

Seeing no traps in the fortress, she then reached out to look at the pole that held the flag up. Nothing suspicious-looking. She then gave a quick pull on the flag and retracted her hand. Nothing.

Giving Kai a nod of approval, Fiona scanned the surrounding trees as Kai flew forward, lunging for the flag.

Lann had noticed that Fiona gave Kai the signal and in order to disguise Kai's landing on a branch, he raised his voice to a shouting level and ranted about how Tarlach refused to accept his challenge.

"Lann," Tarlach yelled back, "there's no way you'll convince me to race you back to your territory! What kind of person would accept a challenge like that?!"

Lann pretended to be frustrated but on the inside, he beamed at Fiona and Kai. Kai successfully grabbed the flag and landed without Tarlach noticing him.

Kai then nodded at Fiona, who seemed to have told him something, and went on his way, leaving Fiona behind. She then locked eyes with Lann and silently inquired about him.

"Well I'm not going to leave until you accept my challenge!" Lann yelled, crossing his arms. For an extra display of stubbornness, he stomped his right foot.

Sensing that leaving all of a sudden would alarm Tarlach, Fiona gave Lann a nod and she too went on her way.

Overhead, Gallagher said, "Well then, apparently Lann won't give up, huh?"

"Getting kind of old now," Reilly cackled. "But interesting what you can accomplish given the right skills, huh?"

"What skills?" Gallagher roared. "Lann's skills to annoy people?"

The commentators laughed some more and then they wandered off. Lann was relieved that Tarlach didn't question their comments, but then he realized that when he finally 'gives up', Tarlach would notice the missing flag and go off and tag him.

_Damn...I forgot about that. I could outrun him though, but he's probably got people around._

Lann sighed and uncrossed his arms. He jumped when he noticed Fiona returning to the fortress with something blue in her hands. His jaw nearly dropped when she replaced the flag and dashed off.

"What the hell are you doing?!" Lann exclaimed, his hands flying to his head as he grasped his hair.

"What do you mean?" Tarlach asked, narrowing his eyes.

"If you're not going to accept my challenge and I'm going to stand here all day, then why are you not going to chase me?" Lann lied. "Seriously! You're supposed to chase me!"

"Is that what you're trying to get me to do?" Tarlach groaned. "No, it's a trap. Now leave here. You're fortunate I'm not going after you, but the others might."

Lann let out a loud groan but did as he was told. His only ticket out was this opportunity and he wasn't a fool. He spun around and walked off, keeping his ears trained on Tarlach's footsteps as the opposing archer marched back to his tree fortress. The moment Lann was out of Tarlach's sight, Fiona jumped down in front of him from her branch, alarming him.

"Why'd you return the flag?!" Lann hissed at her after the alarm wore off.

Fiona's eyes gleamed dangerously at his tone but he kept his glare. There was no reason to return the flag; Lann would prefer to be captured than to leave fruitless but safe.

"Are you sure that was a flag?" Fiona asked quietly.

Lann's glare softened into confusion. "What do you mean?"

Kai jumped from his branch and landed on the ground next to them. His jacket was open, revealing his inner shirt which was blue. The same shade of Team Tarlach's flag.

"Ohh..." Lann breathed, examining the rip in Kai's shirt. "Clever...but now we'll need to get you a new inner shirt."

"It's just a shirt," Kai said indifferently.

Lann clapped a hand on Kai's back. "I see. Well, good job, Kai. You guys both had me fooled. Sorry about that, by the way, Fiona..."

Fiona shrugged it off. "Let's get out of here before they find us. Tarlach will surely find out the 'flag' is a fake soon."

* * *

By the end of their match, Lann was giddy to find that they won. It was a whole two hour match and the audience had a half-hour break before the next started between Shena's team and Keane's team.

The remainder of the day, Lann and his team had several laughs and even Kai cracked a few smiles. Gallagher and Reilly were surprisingly good commentators and under Marrec's watchful eyes, the rules were enforced smoothly with no one wanting to break them and cheat.

Though they won their match against Tarlach's team, they lost against Marlowe's team. In the end, Marlowe's team won the entire competition; all wins and no losses while Andras' team ended up in second place.

"Oh well, we still won a game. It's all good," Evie grinned.

"It was fun," Karok laughed. "I sent three people to jail; one person twice."

"We beat Tarlach, that's all I care about," Fiona sighed.

"I'm just glad I got the majority of the flags," Vella laughed.

"But hey, Kai got the others, isn't that right Kai?" Lann asked.

"Yeah."

"Kai! I don't allow one-worded answers."

"That's right."

"Maybe I should ban two-worded answers too..."

Lann thought that the first day was a total success and he couldn't wait for the next day.

* * *

**Results:**

Round One: **Team Lann** vs. Team Tarlach

Round Two: Team Shena vs. **Team Keane**

Round Three: Team Nerys vs. **Team Marlowe**

Round Four: Team Marcellus vs. **Team Andras**

Round Five: **Team Marlowe** vs. Team Lann

Round Six: **Team Andras** vs. Team Keane

Round Seven: **Team Marlowe** vs. Team Andras

Champion: Team Marlowe

* * *

"You're surprisingly organized when it comes to charts and lists," Evie said, peering over Lann's shoulder as he wrote the report for the newsboards all over Colhen.

"Well, today was so successful that it's attracted the attention of other people. I figured that if it's really popular, then it might become an official thing," Lann grinned. "So we need to make reports and records just in case if it _does_ become big, right?"

Karok, who was sitting next to Lann at the table, chuckled. "Marlowe and his team are celebrating their victory at the docks. Can you hear the fireworks?"

The three silenced themselves and smiled at the distant explosions. "Where'd they get fireworks?" Evie asked.

"Marlowe knows a guy in Rocheste," Karok said casually.

Fiona and Vella approached their table with Kai trailing after them. The rest of the team took their respective position and watched as Lann finish the report. "What's tomorrow's event again?" Fiona asked.

"The blind-folded race," Lann said cheerfully.

His teammates frowned at him. "The what?" Vella said.

"It's when one person blind folds themselves and their teammates have to direct them vocally," Lann said. "This time, it's not a team effort thing. This game will require two or three people. Anyone interested?"

No one raised their hand. Lann sighed and said, "I'll volunteer to be blind folded. How's that?"

Evie and Karok's hands shot up. Lann felt uneasy about Evie's hand being up; who knew if she was going to purposely run him into obstacles. He'd have to rely on Karok to guide him the majority of the way.

"Okay then. Us three will participate. Everyone else will cheer from the sidelines...right?"

"Yeah, we got you," Vella said casually.

Lann directed his gaze towards Fiona and Kai, who remained silent. "Oi...you two will help Vella cheer us on, right?" he asked urgently.

"Do we look like we'd cheer?" Fiona asked Lann.

"Well...no, but you'll support us, right?"

"We're teammates, Lann," Fiona said. "Of course we will."

Kai nodded at Lann and said, "We'll support you."

Lann laughed nervously, scratching the back of his head. "Well, at least three-worded answers are better than one and two-worded."


End file.
